In which Johnny receives a painting from a celebrated artist, and has a vision that the artist’s recently missing daughter is about to die, leading to revelations about the artist’s methods...moreless

The format of this series is such that no matter how often I guess the outcome, the process of watching Johnny get to the conclusion is usually compelling enough to keep it from becoming predictable. This is the second episode in a row where I felt like it was a little too easy to see where the story was going. The difference between “Double Vision” and this episode was the supporting cast. Johnny’s distaff twin was incredibly hot and full of personality. Even the beautiful people in this episode were somewhat boring.There were moments when the writers were trying too hard to make us care about the whole “art” motif. Bruce goes on and on about this artist as though he’s the cream of the crop, which is never the best of ideas when the prop department can only come up with mediocre paintings that aren’t all that impressive. Then again, I openly admit that paintings are not my favorite form of art, so an episode devoted to the world of a famous artist is probably not going to rock my world.Patrick Bauchau does a nice enough job as Andrew Lyne, but I didn’t really feel much in the way of chemistry between the supporting cast members. The only one that seemed to communicate much, beyond the simple demands of the story, was Nora. As a result, it took less than half the episode to figure out that she was the killer, and once it was clear that Lyne’s subjects were not his real daughters, Nora’s motivations were equally clear.Chloe is meant to be sympathetic, but it’s hard to get a grasp on her character. Her first introduction is a bit unsettling; was I the only one thinking that she was playing at seduction with that playful smile? Sure, it makes sense with the story in retrospect, and it probably set me thinking in the right direction, but it also suggested some creepy father/daughter interaction.Speaking of, what was the point of having Lyne and his agent living a decadent lifestyle with those “Eyes Wide Shut”-lite parties? Some attempt at making it look like Lyne wasn’t the relatively benign man that he seemed to be? This is another area where I had some issues with Bruce and his characterization. He made the parties sound a lot more extensive and disturbing. Are a couple of lesbian kisses and sexually charged looks supposed to indicate a lot more behind closed doors? That’s the assumption, but like the art aspect, Bruce’s descriptions are more impressive than the reality. (Yeah, it’s basic cable, but those first season scenes with Dana were a lot more provocative than this!)I did enjoy some aspects of the story, but the writing felt more like someone’s first shot at telling a “Dead Zone” story. Looking at the writer’s credits, I’m wondering if he’s a new addition or if this is a spec script. Maybe it was just the subject. Whatever the case, this didn’t grab my attention like the typical “Dead Zone” episode usually does.moreless

Good episode!

Overall, this episode was something unexpected. I really think the plot and the whole storyline was something really cool. The ending was twisted and honestly I did not expect something like that to happen, something good. I usually manage to solve the mysteries of the series, sometimes I don't, and the ending of this episode was not something I was expecting to happen. Really, really good episode!Now, onto the storyline, it appears that it is sort of confusing at first with the visions and the whole thing, but as it advances it begins not to answer questions but to create more. Johnny is baffled even sometimes on the same episode, and I think that the whole connection between the events and together with the introduction and the conclusion of the episode was really something worth of mentioning. So, I think tha this episode is a good, good episode for The Dead Zone, and one of my favorite too.moreless

Good Episode!

I knew that it was his assistant that was behind it all, but I did not expect that she would be his daughter! I also was not expecting that the first girl, Julia, was not his daughter.

And I felt bad for the assistant. To have your own father make you deny who you are to the world!I wish that they had told us why she could never be his muse. I wonder what he thought was wrong with her.Anyway, I'm finding that I miss the old theme song. I just don't like the new one. And I miss the cane. When did Johnny's leg heal to the point where he no longer needed the can but could also go running with Bruce!Anyway, next weeks episode looks good. Can't wait!moreless

Still Life was smart, visually stunning, and written masterfully.

After a long two week break from the last episode we saw, we finally got to see Still Life. And what an episode it was. This episode continues to show that the Dead Zone can still bring a great story and keep the audience on the edge of their seats.

Patrick Bauchau gave a good performance as Andrew Lyne, and was a great choice for his character. I would also like to give newcomer writer Juan Carlos Coto credit is his first written episode for the Dead Zone, giving a great story with a number of plot twists. It's always good to have John L. Adams in an episode, as well as Chris Bruno. This episode marks the third straight "detective" type episode. Which could be a problem to the freshness of the show. Do not get me wrong, this episode was great and had a terrific story. But without some kind of a balance, the "detective" theme can get old fast.In the end, this was a pretty good episode that had a great story and is a great addition to the series. moreless

A bright and gleaming surface covers the darkness underneath.

When Johnny receives a painting from a mysterious source, he has a vision of the subject of the canvas being murdered.

This was an excellent episode, one that didn't touch on any of the series-long story arcs, but was self-contained and accessable to anyone watching the series for the first time.

There were a few plot twists, but they were paced well and not obviously foreshadowed. Patrick Bauchau did excellent work here, and I found his character far more appealing than his recent work on Carnivale. It's good to see they're using Bruce as a character more this season. Genevieve Cortese did an excellent job... her distaste of the art dealer's advances was palpable and well-played.As an episode to introduce someone to the series, this would be an excellent third or fourth episode.moreless

NOTES (0)

ALLUSIONS (5)

Bruce: This is priceless art and you're about to go Mr. Wizard all over its ass.Mr. Wizard's World was a long-running children's show where kids were encouraged to perform scientific experiments with household items.

Johnny Smith: Scott Petterson also called the police!!This is an allusion to the famous case of the death of Laci Peterson and her unborn child at the hands of Laci's husband Scott. He called the cops after Laci's dissapeareance, just like Smith thought Andrew Lyne did.

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